The Ohio State campus area is not the only community in central Ohio dealing with the continuing threat of a serial rapist.

For years, the Linden area has been hunting a serial rapist who shares similar characteristics with the campus-area suspect.

Linden refers to the region of Columbus north of 17th Avenue and east of Interstate 71, up to Oakland Park.

Detective John Weeks of the Columbus Division of Police Sexual Assault Squad is investigating this series of sexual assaults involving a black male in his mid-30s. The suspect is about 6 feet tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, with a medium complexion.

Weeks is not sure if the rapes are being committed by the same person but has taken note of the similarities between the physical descriptions of the attackers.

Although the police are working around the clock trying to solve these serial rapes, vague descriptions are making it difficult to apprehend a suspect.

“It’s been hard because we haven’t been getting too good a description, because they lack detail. Without a concise description, we just try to keep our eyes open and look for common things,” Weeks said.

The Linden-area assaults have a long history in the community. Beginning with the first rape in 1992, the attacks continued until 1996, then started again this year, Weeks said.

Over the past 10 years, there have been 19 victims in the Linden area. Weeks said the latest incident was within the past several weeks.

While the campus-area rapes have occurred mainly during the morning hours, the Linden incidents have generally taken place in the evenings.

Weeks could not divulge more specific information regarding any similarities between the victims because sharing such details may hinder the investigation.

“That’s something only we, the victims and the attacker committing the crimes would know. Detailed information needs to be kept confidential,” Weeks said.

Many students have decided to move away from campus, hoping to avoid becoming a victim altogether. However, this measure does not guarantee a student’s safety or eliminate the risk of becoming a victim.

“Commuter students can still become victims when walking to their cars at night,” said Sgt. David Clark of the Sexual Assault Squad.

If students are debating moving away from campus, conducting a check of the area for registered sexual offenders and criminal statistics should be a top priority.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus police have Web sites with lists of registered sexual offenders, as well as wanted lists for unsolved crimes. The sites include pictures and case information.

Thirteen people are listed on the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Web site as residents convicted of a sexual offense. The charges range from failure to register as an offender, to failure to change an address or verify an address.

Two important unresolved cases of sex-related crimes involve known suspects and are of high priority to the sheriff’s office and the Columbus police.

The first case involves a man named Henry A. Durdin Jr., a 30-year-old white male wanted for the violent rape of a young woman on the north end of the city. According to the Columbus police’s most-wanted Web site, Durdin is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Durdin also stole several valuable items from the victim, including her car, which was found burned out the day after the assault. The suspect may have fled to Mississippi or Tennessee.

The other case involves a 28-year-old Hispanic male named Jose Cruz. Cruz is wanted for gross sexual imposition, kidnapping and abduction.

According to the sheriff’s wanted persons database Web site, Cruz is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds with dark hair.

Further details regarding these cases are restricted to protect the identities of the victims, but the assailants are still at large and considered dangerous.

Any information regarding these cases should be verified and directed to a local law enforcement agency immediately.